Bomberman 64 was the first true 3D game in the Bomberman series (I do not count 3D Bomberman, from 1984, as a true 3D Bomberman game). It was initially released for the Nintendo 64 by Hudson Soft in 1997.

From the main menu, you can choose two play modes: Adventure or Battle. “Adventure” is a single-player story mode-type game, which incorporates exploration, action/adventure and platforming elements, rather than taking place inside an arena. “Battle” is a multiplayer ‘versus’ game, that can be played by up to four players. There’s also a “Custom” option, where you can customise your character with different outfits (most of which are unlockable), and a unique name, and save it to a memory card.

Adventure mode is where the heart of Bomberman 64 lies – especially since the Battle mode game isn’t as good as in previous Bomberman games.

The backstory is set up during the (surprisingly rather poor) intro sequence, and it shows Bomberman‘s planet being attacked by an alien citadel that is protected by four connected castles. By infiltrating and destroying each of these castles, the main citadel will then become vulnerable, which is your mission – as described to you by your strange alien ally, Sirius.

As you explore the individual levels inside the castles, you’ll encounter a variety of enemies and objects that you must blow up using your bombs. There are also power-ups that can be collected, to increase the blast radius and number of bombs you can drop at the same time.

Bomberman can walk or run, depending on how much you push the control stick, and you can rotate the view around by pushing the c-stick. You drop a bomb by pressing ‘A’, and you can kick them by simply walking into them, or pick them up by pressing ‘B’, and throwing them (by pressing ‘B’ again while you’re holding one). Most importantly, though, you can ‘pump-up’ a bomb by picking it up, then pressing ‘A’ repeatedly. This increases the size and power of your bombs, and these can be used to destroy parts of the scenery (changing it, or allowing access to previously inaccessible areas). These pumped-up bombs are also useful in boss battles, so it’s a good idea to practise making them.

It’s worth noting that bombs explode in a spherical manner in this game, and not with the usual cross-style of explosions, as seen in previous Bomberman games.

Each area has a number of objectives – often switches that must be thrown, or items that must be collected – which must be completed to open up the exit to the next level. Some of these objectives are hidden, so you sometimes have to use your ingenuity to find them. This might require kicking a bomb underneath a gap, to open a secret room, or to launch a platform into the air; or to destroy something with a ‘pumped’ bomb. If you destroy something that prevents you from reaching an objective, you can leave the area and return, and all destructible blocks will be replaced.

Gold cards are awarded for competing certain tasks on each level, and there’s also a timer that counts how long you’ve taken to complete a level. If you complete a level quickly, you’ll be awarded a bonus.

Bomberman 64 is well-presented, with decent graphics and sound, and the gameplay is involving, challenging and absorbing, although it can be confusing at times – particularly when starting out. If took me way too long to complete the first level, but you can re-play any level you’ve previously beaten, to find all the gold cards and get a better finishing time, if you want to.

Bomberman 64 is mostly entirely successful in its execution, and is a fun game to play overall. It’s not perfect (the camera positioning can sometimes be annoying, as is the case in many early 3D games), but it is at least fairly innovative within the Bomberman series, and is playable and fun when you get used to the controls and new game mechanics.

Three more Bomberman games were released for the Nintendo 64: Bomberman Hero in 1998, Bomberman 64: The Second Attack! in 2000, and Bomberman 64 (the same title as this, but a completely different game; presented entirely in 2D – not in 3D), in 2001.

More: Bomberman 64 on Wikipedia
More: Bomberman 64 on YouTube